ten / tá / to
That One by Gender
Pick ten, tá or to to match the noun's gender. Add -to for this (tento, táto, toto), or put tam- in front for that over there (tamten, tamtá, tamto).
How It Works
These words point at a noun, and they always match its gender:
- Masculine: ten, tento, tamten, as in ten stôl (that table) and tento vlak (this train).
- Feminine: tá, táto, tamtá, as in tá kniha (that book) and táto ulica (this street).
- Neuter: to, toto, tamto, as in to auto (that car) and toto mesto (this town).
Ten is the everyday word. It can mean that, or simply the one we are talking about. Tento points to something close to you: this one. Tamten points to something farther away, often when you compare two things: Chcem tento, nie tamten. (I want this one, not that one over there.)
Follow the noun's grammar gender, not its meaning. Kolega (a male colleague) ends in -a, but it is masculine, so we say ten kolega. Dievča (girl) is neuter, so we say to dievča.
In the plural, use tí (títo, tamtí) with masculine nouns for people, like tí muži (those men). Use tie (tieto, tamtie) for everything else: tie ženy (those women), tie autá (those cars), tie stoly (those tables).
These words also change with case. For example, when tá is the object of a verb, it becomes tú: Vidíš tú ženu? (Do you see that woman?) You will learn all the case forms later.
Do not mix this up with to je (this is, that is). In To je môj brat (This is my brother), the word to stays the same for every noun.
Examples (6)
- Ten dom je veľmi starý.
That house is very old.
Dom is masculine, so it takes ten.
- Tá žena je moja učiteľka.
That woman is my teacher.
Žena is feminine, so it takes tá.
- Toto mesto má pekné námestie.
This town has a nice square.
Mesto is neuter, so this is toto.
- Tamten obchod je zatvorený.
That shop over there is closed.
Tamten points to something farther away.
- Tento vlak ide do Košíc.
This train goes to Košice.
- Tí chlapci sú moji spolužiaci.
Those boys are my classmates.
Tí is the plural form for masculine nouns naming people.
Common Mistakes
Using the masculine form tento with a feminine noun.
Tento kniha je dobrá.Táto kniha je dobrá.Kniha is feminine, so this must be táto.
Choosing tá for a masculine noun that ends in -a.
Tá kolega je milý.Ten kolega je milý.Kolega names a man and is masculine, even though it ends in -a. It takes ten.
Using tie with a plural noun for men.
Tie muži sú vysokí.Tí muži sú vysokí.For masculine nouns naming people, the plural form is tí. Tie is for all other plural nouns. You may hear tie muži in casual speech, but standard Slovak uses tí.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before That One by Gender, learn Adjective Agreement. ten, tá and to agree with the noun just like adjectives.
Related Patterns
- Noun Gender
You need a noun's gender to choose ten, tá or to.
Level 1 - to je / to súThis Is and These Are
In to je, the word to never changes, unlike ten, tá and to before a noun.
Level 1 - No Words for A and The
Slovak has no a or the, so ten often points things out instead.
Level 1 - Case Forms of ten, môj and náš
The full case forms of ten, like tú, toho and tej.
Level 3 - tí / tie, oni / onyPlural Words for Men and Others
More on choosing tí or tie in the plural.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice ten / tá / to in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Slovak lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
